A show-stopping holiday season

November 30, 2012

2567

By Jordan Wright

What merriment is in store for us at the theater this holiday season? Well a few shows are naughty (R-rated) just as others are nice (G-rated), but check my quirky ratings for special notations. A host of scintillating nearby Christmas shows offer all of the holiday drama you need.

Michael Sharp (left) reprises the role of Scrooge in MetroStage’s “A Broadway Christmas Carol.” This is the third consecutive year the North Royal Street playhouse has put on the show, which is a new twist on an old classic. (Photo/Metrostage)

Deck the halls with Broadway flair

“A Broadway Christmas Carol” is getting to be a habit at MetroStage, which will put on the wildly hilarious show for the third consecutive year.

The tidy three-person cast of Michael Sharp, Jacob Kidder and Tracey Stephens deck the halls with lots of show tunes and dizzying costume changes in this delicious dose of Christmas spoof. Under the musical direction of Howard Breitbart, this screamingly funny pastiche is rated SGIFB for “Sophisticated Grownups with Intact Funny Bone.”

Now through December 23; Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 and 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 3 and 7 p.m. For tickets and information, call 800-494-8497 or visit www.metrostage.org. 1201 N. Royal St., Alexandria, VA

Christmas classic returns to Little Theatre

Along the same lines, The Little Theatre of Alexandria is reviving its time-tested production of “A Christmas Carol” for the holiday season.

Directed and adapted by Rachael Hubbard, this Charles Dickens classic will warm the cockles of everyone’s heart. Replete with elegant Victorian costumes, the accursed curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge and the adorable Tiny Tim, the production almost elicits the tantalizing aroma of chestnuts roasting as ghostly guides transport you through Christmas past, present and future.

Settle in beside a crackling fireplace along with fellow wassailing couples to relive this Currier and Ives picture postcard depicting the true meaning of Christmas. Rated RCV for “Required Christmas Viewing.”

From November 30 through December 16; Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays at 3 and 5 p.m. For tickets and information, call 703-683-0496 or visit www.thelittletheatre.com. 600 Wolfe St., Alexandria, VA 22314

Three-time Tony Award nominee Mark Kudisch (left) and Astaire Award nominee Jeffry Denman pair up in “Holiday Guys,” a light-hearted take on the festive season, complete with song, dance and silliness. The show runs for a limited time only at Signature Theatre. (Photo/ Signature Theatre)

Signature Theatre hosts very hip holidays

After a day of shopping and dining, Signature Theatre, located in the heart of Shirlington Village, will be the perfect spot to jolly up with a glass of wine and a Christmas-inspired cabaret.

Also at Signature, and back by popular demand, is the festive series “Holiday Follies.” Featuring a wonderful wintry line-up of special guest performers, along with a host of Signature’s closest friends and artists, there’s never been a better way to keep company on a cold night.

Both shows are rated HXS for “Hip Xmas Special.”

Special performance schedule for “Holiday Guys”: December 11 and 12 at 7:30 p.m.; December 13 and 14 at 8 p.m.; December 15 at 2 and 8 p.m.; and December 16 at 2 and 7 p.m. Special performance schedule for “Holiday Follies”: December 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m.; December 20 and 21 at 8 p.m.; December 22 at 2 and 8 p.m.; and December 23 at 2 and 7 p.m.Tickets for “Holiday Guys” and “Holiday Follies” are on sale online at www.signature-theatre.org or through the Signature Box Office at 703-573-SEAT. 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, VA 22206

Arlington’s Synetic Theater embraces holiday irreverence with “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” The show follows the foibles of the Herdman family, who seem intent on disrupting a holiday tradition. (Photo/ Synetic Theater)

In this irreverent comedy about an annual Christmas pageant, the usually festive celebration by the Sunday school children has gone awfully awry. The Herdman family, a bunch of rotten, misbehaving, swearing and bullying kids, take part in the Christmas pageant and all chaos breaks loose.

Can the church learn to love even its most wayward children? It could be a total disaster, or it just might be “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” The show is rated GKCI for “Gives Kids Cool Ideas.”

Special performance schedule for “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”: December 15 at 2 p.m.; December 16 at 11 a.m.; December 21 at 10 a.m.; and December 22 through 27 at 11 a.m. For tickets and information, call 800-494-8497 or visit www.synetictheater.org. 1800 S. Bell St., Arlington, VA 22202

POPULAR CATEGORIES

The Alexandria Times is Alexandria’s only locally owned, independent newspaper. We provide the best, most in-depth news reporting in the Port City, as well as first-rate coverage of local sports, arts and entertainment.